I am going to say
this right now: I don’t think it is a bit much to ask developers to give us
some variety and change when it comes to the games they are developing. With
this new console generation finally starting up, we need to push the idea that
we can have a varied gaming experience with a game, big or small. I know there have
been studies saying that gamers don’t know what they want, but I find that
statement snobbish, and anyone that says it makes them sound like condescending
jerks. Variety is the spice of life, and the gaming industry needs to know that
there are more kinds of games than Clash
of Clans, Candy Crush Saga, and Call of Duty. That is why companies need
to actually listen to what gamers want, or observe the indie scene to see what
is going on, since the downloadable side of gaming is the only way, so far, to
get some variety when it comes to gaming. With today’s review of Child of Light, Ubisoft is showing us
why variety is nice. This is one of the best looking games around, and is one
of the best RPGs that I have played this year. Why not jump on into this
beautiful watercolor world, and see what makes this game so great?

You play as a
princess known as Aurora. Due to an illness, she is put into a deep slumber and
wakes up in this brand new world known as Lemuria. As she tries to find her way
back into her old world, she runs into multiple characters who tell her that
the world of Lemuria has been taken over by an evil being known as the Queen of
the Night. With the help of a memorable cast of characters, Aurora makes it her
job to save the world of Lemuria, and find her way back to her own kingdom. The
story is very well put together. It’s dark, complex, but it can also be light-hearted
and funny at times. The cast of characters that join you on your way to saving
the land are, like I said, very memorable. The story is also unique. It is
spoken in rhyme, which I give the writing team credit for doing, since I would
find it very hard to do an entire story in rhyme. Either way, you won’t get
bored with the story after the 12 hours it takes you to beat the game.

Child of Light is a 2D turn-based RPG.
If you have played any game in the main Grandia
franchise, then you have played Child of
Light’s combat system. While your characters will not move in a static
battleground, the little action bar at the bottom of the screen will show you what
the waiting time for one of your character or enemy’s turn are, and at the end of
the bar is the casting meter. The casting meter will either speed up or slow
down your character’s actions, depending on what move you choose, whether it be
a simple melee attack or a powerful magic attack. While the combat might seem
like it is nothing special, there is some depth to the combat. Just like in Grandia, if you can get your attack in
first inside that casting part of the meter before your enemies pull off their
moves, you can interrupt them so they have to take more time to execute another
move. Of course, enemies and your own characters will have spells to speed up
the process of getting more turns in, so there must be some way to slow down
the enemies on the meter. Oh wait, there is!

In the game, you get a little
firefly character named Igniculus. During battle, you can use Igniculus to shine
brightly over an enemy which will cause their turn in the meter to slow down,
which can lead you to get your turn and attack faster. Igniculus can also heal
you and your allies on and off the battlefield. However, Igniculus runs on his
own meter, and the meter will drain if you keep using his abilities. This leads
to a lot of complex strategies, including what party member to have in each
fight, and which enemy to stun first so you can wail on him before the enemy
does the same to you. Oh, and if you didn’t know or haven’t seen from the
trailers shown of the game, the enemies are visible in the overworld, which
means no random battles. You can also run into an enemy from behind to get an
advantage in battle. Igniculus can also stun enemies in the overworld and open
certain chests. Leveling and progression-wise, you have stones that you can
equip to characters that can give them benefits, like more health, water
damage, magic resistance, and so on. There are also side quests for you to go
on, such as getting rid of a certain number of enemies in some guy’s basement
or finding a lump of gold for some market person. The overall game will take
you about 10-12 hours to complete.

One of the biggest
highlights of the game is the drop dead beautiful graphics. This watercolor
approach gives the game a unique look, and it reminds me of games that were
made by Vanillaware. The music is also beautifully orchestrated. It is composed
by Béatrice Martin, or as she is known by her stage name, Cœur de Pirate, a
well-known Canadian singer/songwriter. The soundtrack is filled with elegant
sounds and more threatening compositions when underground. It is one of the
best soundtracks of this year. The animation of the characters and enemies is
also well done. It helps that they add little details like the main character
having some slight balancing issues lifting her sword when she is attacking.
There is no voice acting in the game besides the narrator, but you get a feel
of the characters’ personalities in the dialogue.

There are only a
few issues that this game has to offer, and they are mostly minor. I have seen
that people say that it is too easy to run into enemies in the overworld and
dungeons, but I disagree with that statement. You have to take your time flying
through the levels, since if you just go at top speed all the time, then you
are going to run into enemies. Now, the one criticism I will agree with is that
there is very little customization in the game. You only get to equip certain
stones to your characters, and that is it. This means that you won’t be finding
stronger weapons or sturdier armor as you travel around the game’s world. It
doesn’t help that the leveling tree that you use doesn’t feel all too
effective. Sometimes you can feel your character becoming stronger due to the
leveling tree, but it isn’t too noticeable. I also think they could have had
some voice acting in the game. They wouldn’t have to be big-time Hollywood
actors, but they could have gotten actors like Tara Strong or someone to
portray the characters.

Final Verdict: One of the best RPGs of 2014!

Even with their
questionable business decisions, like the delay of Rayman Legends and the yearly release of Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft is still giving gamers a unique gaming
experience. I mean, last year they had Far
Cry 3: Blood Dragon, which was different for a FPS, and this year they have
Child of Light and Valiant Hearts: The Great War. I would
highly recommend getting Child of Light
for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, or your Wii U. It is
$15, but a 12-hour RPG is well worth the money. I was surprised to see Ubisoft
work on a RPG out of all the genres they usually invest money into. I am glad
they made this game, and I hope they make more interesting experiences down the
line.

Our Verdict

8

Why To Get It:Beautiful graphics, deep combat system, amazing music, entertaining story and characters, difficult boss fights, and a solid length for a downloadable game

Why To Avoid It:customization isnt as indepth as it could have been, being limited to two party members in battle, and the leveling up tree abilities don't make you feel stronger.